Wire clothes-pin.



J. K. HOFSTAD.

WIRE CLOTHES PIN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1912.

Patented June 17, 1913.

. clothes pin JOHN HQFWAD. 0 HANSON. SASKAT H WAN, CANADA- WIRE CLOTHES-PIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent d June 1281 13.

Application filed May 2, 1912. Serial No. 694,693.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JOHN K. Horsrxn, a citizen of Canada, residing at Hanson, in the Province of Saskatchewan and Dominion of Canada,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Clothes-Pins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention appertains to improvements in clothes pins, and particularly to that type formed from a single piece of spring wire, the object of my device being to provide a simple construction of clothes pin peculiarly bent in such a manner as to form clamping members by means of which articles of clothing or the like may be secured on a line in the usual manner.

It is further contemplated to form a which will be very cheap from a manufacturing standpoint and extremely efficient in its clamping action, said clothes pin being so formed that the spring loops of which it is composed are held in positive juxtaposition by the terminals of the wire and permitted to have a sliding action to best allow the free movement of the spring 'loops.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective "view, showing the application of a clothes pin constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the clothes line in section, and in dotted lines the movement of the clamping members; Fig. 3 is'an end elevation of my invention in its normal position; Fig. 4 is a front elevation in a similar position; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Throughout the following detail description and on the several figures of the draw ings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, and describing specifically my invention, the same comprises essentially the clamping members or arms 1 and 2 terminating at their upper portion in the spring loop member or coil 3. As clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the opposing arms 1 and 2 normally interlock with each other, one of said arms being slightly longer than the other in order to facilitate the application of the clothespin, or in other words to permit of readily opening the clamping members for securing an pi rticle of clothing designated as 4 to a clothes Describing the peculiar manner of constructing my device, one end portion of a single piece of spring wire is bent back upon itself to form the arm 1, the wire then being circularly bent to form the spring loop mem her 3, which is composed of a double coil, as clearly seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The opposite end portion of the wire is also bent back upon itself to form the opposing clamping arm 2, the side members of which are spaced from each other in order to per mit the arm 1 to be received between the said side members when the clothes pin is in inoperative position. The extremeends or terminals of the wire are then bent around the members of the spring loop 8, thereby holding said members in juxtaposition or parallel relation with each other and permitting a sliding action or movement of the coils of the member 3 in the retaining members or eyes 5 and 5'.

The construction hereinbefore described has numerous advantages, affording an article which may be very cheaply manufac tured. One of the advantageous features of the invention is that the terminals of the wire are so disposed as to prevent any likelihood of tearing of the articles which it secures on a clothes-line and said terminals permitting at the same time free action of the spring loops formed on the upper portion of the arms. The lower ends of the arms 1 and 2 are preferably bent laterally in order to permit the separation thereof, as will be obvious to those familiar with the use of these articles.

It will be apparent that changes may be made in the exact form of the clothes pin, such as for instance the number of coils of which the spring loop member is composed, and 1, therefore, do not Wish to be confined to the exact construction which is illustrated in the drawings above described, except as required by the scope of the appended claim. The arms 1 and 2 furthermore are slightly curved in proximity to spring loop member 3, at the point of application on a clothes line, the relative spaced position determining the clamping action which will be afforded by the arms between which said line passes.

. Having thus described the invention, is claimed as new is:

A clothes pin comprising a spring wire into contact therewith when the terminal bent into a spring coil and having the terl loops are spread apart and thus limiting the 10 minal portions projecting in loops from the extent of spread of the terminal loops.

coil and'one of said terminal loops extend- In testimony whereof I affix my signature ing thirough the 1otherband tile end1 portions 1 in presence of two Witnesses. of sai terminal 00 s ein orme into e es inclosing parts of t he coil the eye of e ch JOHN HOFSTAD' terminal loop being disposed beyond the opposite terminal loop in position for moving l Witnesses:

A. WEs'rMAN, I SULLIE FLURY. 

